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Hale was a titleholder in three weight divisions for King of the Cage (Photo courtesy of Bellator).

Veteran to Compete in Light Heavyweight Competition

Bellator Fighting Championships has confirmed the addition of Richard Hale (15-3-1) to its upcoming light heavyweight tournament, with the veteran Mixed Martial Artist setting his sights on being the first titleholder in that weight class for the promotion. In addition to claiming the inaugural Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship, the winner of the competition will also claim a $100,000 purse.

“Richard is another guy we have had our eye on for a while, and his size and experience should enable him to make some noise this season,” Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney stated.

A native of Tempe, Arizona, Hale has fought professionally since 2006, and the Koncrete Gym representative has just one loss in his last 13 outings. He has made the biggest impact in his career while competing under the banner of Rage in the Cage, winning titles in three different weight classes as a light heavyweight, heavyweight and super heavyweight. Standing 6-4 in height, Hale feels that the 205-pound class is where he is most effective.

“I absolutely feel like I'm more powerful and explosive at 205 pounds,” he remarked. “My strength and my stamina is better, and just everything all around. With the weight cut and everything, it pushes me to be a better athlete.”

Hale has only relied on the judges’ score cards for a pair of his 15 career victories, which prompted Rebney and Bellator match makers to bring him into this tournament. He now looks to take advantage of what is in front of him.

“I'm looking at this tournament as an opportunity to display my skills to the world,” Hale said. “I feel like this is my opportunity to make a statement, and I'm absolutely going to take advantage of it. I'm not coming to Bellator just to put on a fight. I'm coming to put on an entertaining fight. This is an entertainment sport, so my opponents have to be ready for anything.”

Everything continues to fall into the Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament, which will air live on MTV2 beginning in March. With Hale now on board, he is added to a list that already includes Tim Carpenter, DJ Linderman, Chris Davis, Nik Fekete and Daniel Gracie.